Sauce Graine (Ivorian Palm Nut Stew) with Beef and Smoked Fish

Ingredients

• 500 g beef stewing steak, diced
• 200 g smoked mackerel fillets
• 400 g tinned palm nut concentrate
• 2 onions
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 aubergine
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 beef stock cube
• 300 g long-grain rice

Method

1. 1

   Put the beef in a large pan with 1 chopped onion, the crushed garlic, the crumbled stock cube and 700ml water. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes until tender.

2. 2

   Stir in the palm nut concentrate (or 150ml red palm oil whisked with 200ml coconut cream if you cannot find it), then add the whole tomatoes, the aubergine cut into quarters, the second onion, halved, and the scotch bonnet pierced once with a knife. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

3. 3

   Lift out the tomatoes, aubergine and onion, mash or blend them to a pulp and stir back in. Keep simmering until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and the red oil rises.

4. 4

   Skin the smoked mackerel, break into large flakes and add for the last 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove the scotch bonnet.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, rinse the rice and simmer it in 600ml lightly salted water, covered, for 12-15 minutes until tender.

6. 6

   Serve the sauce graine straight away over the rice, and cool any leftover rice quickly.